Arroz empedrat, o empedrado: a Colorful Rice & Bean Paella

Arroz empedrat (Catalan) or empedrado (Castilian) means "pebbled rice."  In this case the rice is "pebbled" with beans. I used black beans, red kidney beans, and green peas, which together with red peppers, parsley and saffron-tinted rice, make this a colorful dish. It tastes good too.

I got the idea for this recipe from Penelope Casas' Paella! Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain, but I've changed it quite a bit.  This is basically a vegetable paella with an emphasis on beans.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Spanish rice  (Calasparra, Bomba, or a paella rice such as La Marjal are best. Italian arborio will do. But regular long-grain and Asian rices just won't work.)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup of canned red kidney beans, rinsed

1/2 cup of canned black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup of frozen green peas, rinsed

7 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon of pimentón  (an important ingredient: see my post on pimentón)

1/4 cup of flame-roasted red peppers, cut into slivers (see my post on flame-roasted red peppers), or piquillo peppers

a small pinch of saffron, ground with a little salt in a mortar

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste (keep in mind that canned beans are often salty)

coarsely chopped parsley

In a large heavy frying pan or a medium paella pan, saute the onion in the olive oil. When the onion turns translucent, add the whole garlic cloves. Saute two minutes more.

Add the rice. Stir until it's well coated with oil. Add all of the beans, the peas, and the pimentón.

Stir. Add  two and a half cups of water, the salt, and the saffron. 

Stir. Bring the rice to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the rice simmer uncovered for 18 minutes.

Toward the end of the cooking, check with a wooden spoon to make sure the rice isn't burning.  A crust at the bottom is ideal, but it should be brown, not black. If it seems the rice may burn, turn off the heat and cover the pan. 

After cooking, let the paella rest for ten minutes.  In the meantime, decorate the  paella with parsley and  flame-roasted red peppers or piquillo peppers.

After the ten minute rest, serve the paella.

Comments

[Linda]

Something to cook for dinner tonight. Thank you for the recipe. Your pictures are beautiful and I love to read your blog.

[Bill]

Thank you, Linda. I'm glad you like it (and I am sorry about the delayed response.) I'll tell Ana you like the pictures. She takes them all.

All the best.

Bill

[Jerry]

Number one paella catering in San Francisco and greater Bay Area.

www.paella-sf.com